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How to give your bathroom a modern look with Nickel Accessories

June 21, 2013

written by
Vicki Bale Share

Towel Ring in Polished Nickel

How to Give Your Traditional Bathroom a modern look with Nickel Accessories

Have you been wanting to transform the look of your traditional bathroom with a fresh modern look, but can’t quite figure out how? Maybe you’ve been wanting to remodel your cabinets and fixtures, but can’t quite figure out which look would best compliment them? By using polished nickel accessories, you get the best of both worlds. Nickel sits well with a traditional bathroom but gives a clean and fresh look.

To understand how polished nickel can look traditional, you have to understand that nickel plating was originally created for aesthetic purposes and metal protection. Bronze, copper, and tin have always been cheap in comparison to more precious metals, so knobs and accessories were originally cast in foundries of this material. To give them a more upscale look, they would then dip them in molten nickel, which would require far less material, and use steel brushes to even the mold in order to maintain the original cast shape.

So how does nickel hold a traditional look while still giving your bathroom a modern and fresh twist? The colour is a bit darker than chrome. The clean feel that it exudes, and the fact that it’s a very valid replacement for stainless steel, both lend themselves well towards a more modern feeling, while retaining an old-world style. Nickel can be polished, so shiny silver or brushed. Brushed nickel has striations, small brush marks, which give an almost stainless steel look and more matt look.

Do It Yourself!
Now that you’ve decided you’re going to use nickel accessories, is it going to cost a fortune to get someone to install them for you? No. There are numerous accessories that you can install yourself, the only costs being the original item price, and the time that it takes to install tem. If the DIY route is not for you, don’t worry as it should not take an experienced fitter long to fit any bathroom accessory item.

Other quick and inexpensive products that are commonly available in nickel are, cupboard door knobs and hinges. Cupboard knobs normally bolt from behind and hinges face fix. For this, all you need is a screwdriver, and about five minutes of your time. All you need to do is unscrew the old set and screw in the new set, with no power tools required.

Also simple to install are bathroom hooks and robe hooks. Again these are usually applied with screws. These are sometimes made to be face fixed (where screws are visible) or can be concealed (so sit behind a face plate).

Becoming more and more popular are wall-mounted electric towel warmers that can plug into any outlet. These racks may seem somewhat intimidating at first, but they’re really no more difficult to install than an average towel rack. You’ll need a screwdriver and a cordless hand drill for this application so that you can pre-drill the holes that the drywall anchors will fit into. You may also need a small hammer or rubber mallet to gently tap the anchors into the wall to ensure a snug fit.

If the thought of picking up a power tool intimidates you, never fear! There are also free standing nickel accessories that you can put in your bathroom without ever having to lift a screwdriver e.g. free standing electric towel horses, freestanding mirrors and traditional bath racks.

About the Author

Ryan J Corey is the main contributor for Homeowner Ideas, a remodeling, home improvement and DIY website.